Does art have an expiration date? Not in my humble opinion. Art is timeless, in that even the most ancient scrawls on the rock walls of caves inspire us today. Through them, we know that drawing is as much a part of our nature as our desire for warmth and water (Tweet this!). We can go to a museum and see works that were painted hundreds of years ago and be moved to tears with their beauty and the connection we feel with the artists who painted them.

Recently, I shared the work of René Porter, who’s featured in Strokes of Genius 6, and because we at Artists Network know that exceptional drawings don’t have an expiration date, our team has brought together the best of the best in this Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing Collection. It features editions one through five in eBook format, plus the latest edition in hardcover.

A Love Story (Charcoal and white pastel on Canson Mi-Teintes, 20×13) by Timothy W. Jahn. timothywjahn.com

Timothy W. Jahn’s drawing, A Love Story, is featured in the third edition, and is one of hundreds of works that were chosen. Each drawing includes a special word from the artist on his or her technique and/or inspiration. “The Moroccan lamp and cloth sparked the idea for A Love Story,” says Jahn. “It’s showing you a collection of prized possessions of a well-traveled man. In the center is his most cherished memory: the photo of his beloved. As the concept for this drawing developed, I added different objects to give depth to the character. I did a very light line drawing to solidify the composition. I next observed and recorded the most extreme values, then carefully massed in the highlights and patterns of shadow. This helps make rendering each object a bit easier, as the direction of the light and the parameters under which I will execute the drawing are clearly established.”